Honda’s Urban EV stole the show at Frankfurt in 2017, encouraging the Japanese firm to transfer more of its design cues to the production model. Now we’ve got our first glimpse at the production model thanks to new spy shots, which reveal Honda has toned down the concept’s styling.

Most noticeably, the concept’s retro-styled three-door design has been ditched in favour of a more practical five-door layout. Rounder and more robust panels also replace the concept’s bluff nose and thin pillars in the interest of crash safety.

The body of the prototype is slightly narrower, while the ride height has been raised and those unique square tail lights have been swapped for more conventional units, too.

Despite this, some of the concept’s features have remained. This test mule’s bonnet bulge and headlamps are similar to those in the concept's, and the rear-facing side-view cameras also remain.

Honda hasn’t revealed battery output, power figures or performance data for its latest EV, nor is there any detail on prospective range or charge times. However, given its intended use, we expect a modest 200-mile range, mated to the latest fast-charge technology.

The original concept’s dinky exterior styling was reminiscent of the original seventies Honda Civic, while its interior was unlike anything we’ve seen from Honda before, with a minimalist design and huge dash-spanning central screen.

The 2017 Honda Urban EV concept also hinted at the future of Honda design. The backlit blue logo is supposed to appear on each of the company’s forthcoming EVs, for example, and the interactive screen between the headlights can display messages, such as charging status updates and greetings to other road users.

Whether or not Honda has retained these interior and exterior features for the production model is still uncertain.